1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an athletic or sports sock, especially a ski sock, having a non-uniform thickness in different portions of the sock.
2. Description of the Related Art
Athletic socks having different thicknesses in different portions of the sock are well known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,317 discloses a typical such sock wherein the sock is knitted to be thicker at the toe, the heel, and the top portions than in the instep. U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,527 discloses an anatomically designed sock, in particular an asymmetric ski sock, having variably thickened fabric areas at the heel, arch, ball, and toe portions of the sock. U.S. Pat. No. 5,771,495 discloses a snowboarding sock having the highest density at the heel, a medium density on the instep, and the lowest density at the toes, in order to give a good feel of the snowboard and thereby improve control.
All of the socks mentioned in the prior art are for people with normal feet, and do not recognize the problems faced by a person having a foot which is wider than normal in the area of the metatarsal joints. As used herein, the term metatarsal joint refers to the joint between the metatarsal bones and the phalanges, the lateral metatarsal joint portions being located on the lateral sides of the foot where the foot is widest. These lateral portions of the foot can press hard against the sides of an otherwise properly fitting boot such as a ski boot, thereby causing pain and numbness. While boots can be made with custom molded linings, this does not solve the problem for a person who is renting standard ski boots or other stiff athletic footwear such as ice skates or in-line skates. What is needed is an on-the-spot adapting mechanism for eliminating discomfort to the wearer.